Partners in the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management System

Partners in the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management System

The Mackenzie Valley includes all of the Northwest Territories, with the exception of the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, and the Wood Buffalo National Park.The Mackenzie Valley is comprised of five regions: Gwich’in, Sahtu, Deh Cho, Akaitcho, and Tlicho or Wek’èezhìi.

The Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act is the federal legislation which governs the Mackenzie Valley. The Act creates an integrated co-management structure for public and private lands and waters throughout the valley. It has established public boards to regulate the use of land and water, to prepare regional land use plans to guide development, and to carry out environmental assessment and reviews of proposed projects in the Mackenzie Valley. The Act also makes provisions for monitoring cumulative impacts on the environment, and for periodic, independent environmental audits.The Mackenzie Valley boards and organizations involved in the environmental impact assessment and regulatory process are as follows:

Wildlife Management

Land Use Planning

About the co-management boards

As institutions of public government, the boards regulate all uses of land and water while considering the economic, social and cultural well-being of residents and communities in the Mackenzie Valley.In unsettled claims areas, the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board is responsible for resource management in those areas. As new land claim agreements are settled, the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act will likely be amended to include them and additional boards will be created for those areas.

The Gwich’in Land Use Planning Board is responsible for preparing comprehensive land and water use plans for the Gwich’in Settlement Area. These plans provide direction for use, development and conservation with respect to all land, water and other resources in the area.

This regional co-management board was established by the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act and through the Gwich’in Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement.

The Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board is responsible for conducting environmental assessments on proposed developments and for striking panels to conduct environmental impact reviews on them if necessary, throughout the Mackenzie Valley.

Based on the findings of its assessment, the Review Board makes recommendations to the federal and responsible ministers on whether a proposed development proceed to regulatory approval or not, and if so under what conditions. This co-management board was established by the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act.

The Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board is responsible for conducting preliminary screenings and for regulating the use of land and water in the Deh Cho and South Slave regions (unsettled claims areas), as well as development that may have impacts on more than one settlement region. The authority of this co-management board extends to all Crown and private lands and water in the Mackenzie Valley.

In the Sahtu, Gwich’in and Wek’èezhìi (settled claim areas), regional land and water boards have been established. The Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board monitors and ensures consistent application of the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act between all regional land and water boards in the Mackenzie Valley.

The Sahtu Land Use Planning Board is responsible for preparing comprehensive land and water use plans for the Sahtu Settlement Area. These plans provide direction for the use, development, and conservation with respect to all land, water and other resources in the area.

This regional co-management board was established by the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act and through the Sahtu Dene and Métis Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement.

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About This Website

This website provides general information about the resource management system in the Northwest Territories. The site is a tool for interested parties to learn about the how the system works, and acts as a single entry point to access the websites of the individual boards.